A study funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research has determined the key factors influencing the participation of women in the national cervical screening programme. The findings were published in the journal Health Psychology and Behavioural Medicine.
Under the screening programme, women aged 25-49 years are invited to attend cervical screening once in three years and those aged 50-64 years are invited every five years.
Researchers at the University of Leeds and NHS England evaluated the responses of 194 women aged 25-64 years who participated in an online survey that asked them about the barriers preventing them from attending the screening and the factors that encouraged them to attend.
Fear or previous experience of 'pain and discomfort' associated with cervical screening was cited as the primary reason for not attending the screening. 'Lack of time' and 'embarrassment' were other important reasons. Nearly one-third of the respondents said they faced challenges in 'making an appointment' and 'finding childcare,’ which prevented them from attending the screening.
'Ease of making appointments' and ‘peace of mind’ from a clear result were cited as the key reasons that encouraged the women to participate in the screening.
Dr Sarah Wilding, the study's lead author, said: "This study confirmed that factors which encourage screening are key to the decision of whether to attend screening. Public health interventions should therefore focus on the factors that facilitate screening and how these interplay with barriers in order to improve uptake."
